Councillor Gerry Curran (Lib Dem, Twerton) who is the Lib Dem lead on planning, has said that the situation following last week’s second Bath Transport Package planning committee is one of chaos and confusion and is trying to persuade the Council Leadership to agree to bring an alternative scheme to the next planning committee. Councillor Curran said:

As things stand, the Conservative Leadership of B&NES Council is failing to take action, leaving a chaotic and confused situation. The planning application for the Newbridge Park & Ride and the bus rapid transit route has been deferred for the second time; it will come back a third time in August or September, but I can’t really see the point if the proposals are going to be the same.

Cllr Curren has requested an urgent meeting with the Chief Executive and Leader of the Council to try and come up with a workable and acceptable solution. We certainly don’t want to lose the Package as a whole, but he believes it is time for the Council Leadership to shift their position.

At the last planning committee meeting Councillors from all political Groups on the committee asked for the two elements of the planning application to be separated. Our proposal is that we should drop the BRT segregated route in favour of a bus lane from the Golden Fleece on the Lower Bristol Road to Windsor Bridge combined with extensive works to the two junctions at either end of the bridge.

Some of the money which would have been spent on the BRT should be put into the Western Riverside transport corridor, which might help kick start that whole project, while also bringing forward part of the transport package. We think this is a good argument to make to the government in the current economic climate.

Finally, we should look again at the proposal for a park and ride on the other side of the river at Newbridge – it may now provide a better alternative.

Councillor Curran has also asked for transparency about the legal advice given to Councillor Lees at the first planning committee on 20th May when he was advised he could remain in the room, despite having been substituted, but then later may have been advised to leave.

Local Councillor Sharon Ball (Lib Dem, Westmoreland) said:

As local ward Councillor for Westmoreland, which includes part of the Lower Bristol Road, I would welcome the park and ride buses travelling along the Lower Bristol Road, with the planned bus stops, which would enable my residents and Twerton residents to make use of the service.

Local Councillor Caroline Roberts (Lib Dem, Newbridge) added:

Residents are rightly angry at what they see as a betrayal of democracy over the way this application was handled and the TV interview with the chamber of commerce merely added insult to injury. This road is unnecessary, will not deliver the reduction on congestion and is simply not worth the pain and cost to enable commuters to get into work two minutes quicker.